To Catch A Dream

David Koulack is Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. He has been actively engaged in dream research for over twenty-five years.

"This is a very readable book on dreams which is solidly based from beginning to end on the best theoretical and laboratory evidence on dreams available today. As Koulack says, dreams are recollections of past events which are encapsulated in the sleeping state. As such, they are very difficult to study scientifically; Koulack has developed a solid reputation as a dream researcher and theoretician during the course of his work which now spans more than two decades. He has a perspective and depth of knowledge in this field which allowed him to synthesize Freud, Jung, and laboratory dream research very effectively. He offers explanations, understanding, and plausible hypotheses rather than the groundless 'interpretations' which have plagued the works of most writers since Freud. He is not afraid to distinguish between what we know and what remains a mystery to be solved by further study."The topic is fascinating. It is significant in that the book integrates the effects of presleep and external stimuli upon the dream process more thoroughly than any book has before. The chapter on dream salience and recall/recall failure is excellent. The REM deprivation studies are again well summarized, and the final chapter on the compensation and avoidance of dreams is an insightful and fair description of the state of the art." — Robert D. Ogilvie, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychology, Brock University"This book covers a large portion of the research on dreams and its implications on everyday life. It is very well and simply written. It combines scholarly standards with exceptional readability. The scientific approach is pervasive but with constant attention to everyday applications. " — Joseph De Koninck, Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa"This book provides scientifically based conclusions from the best experimental data this field has to offer. It is not based on the author's personal dream experiences as many 'dream' books are. The level of speculation is very careful and reasonable." — Carlyle T. Smith, Department of Psychology, Trent University

• PrefaceAcknowledgments 1. Sleeping and Dreaming Rosette's DreamRosette's First AnalysisThe Story of Rosette's MotherRosette's AnswerEarly Thoughts on Sleep and DreamsCommon Notions About Sleep and DreamsResearch on Dreams 2. Freud and Dreaming Exploring DreamsFreud's Notions of Dream Function 3. Sleep and Dream Research The Discovery of REM SleepREM Sleep and DreamingThe Sleep CycleDream Time and Real Time 4. Explorations of Dreaming REM and Non-REM DreamingDreaming and REM-Sleep Activity 5. Daytime Events, Sleep and Dreaming Studies of Presleep ExperienceVagaries of Our Lives 6. Our Bodies, Our Dreams ThirstExerciseSleeping Pills and AlcoholThe Mentrual CycleIllness 7. Things That Go Bump In The Night Environmental Effects on Dream ContentLearning While Asleep 8. Dream Recall and Dream Recall Failure Investigations of RepressionSalienceInterferenceArousalRetrieving Dreams 9. Dream Deprivation REM DeprivationDream Substitution 10. The Adaptive Function of Dreams Dreams and the Mastery of StressDreams and CompensationDreams and AvoidanceDisruption and AvoidanceA Summing Up NotesIndex